Jump In Test Scores Puts Atlantic High At Head Of The Class

While Palm Beach County high school students taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test last year saw their results drop below those of their counterparts the previous year, the news was much brighter at Atlantic High School.

According to results released on Thursday, mean scores at Atlantic High in Delray Beach jumped 20 points on the college preparatory exam's verbal portion and 14 points in the math section - the largest increases posted at any district school.

"We seem to be doing better and better all the time as far as preparation for college and focusing on skills they need," principal Carole Shetler said. "That really pays off with SAT scores."

The mean verbal score at Atlantic rose from 423 in the 1992-93 school year to 443 last year. The math score increased from 479 in 1992-93 to 493 last year. The maximum score in each category is 800.

The school also increased its mean score on the American College Test for college-bound students, raising its composite average from 19.9 to 21.2. The maximum score is 36.

The school houses one of the district's two International Baccalaureate programs, an advanced college preparatory program.

Across the district, SAT scores dropped slightly. Verbal scores went from 417 in the 1992-93 school year to 413 last year. The math scores dropped from 474 to 472 during the same period.

On the ACT test, the mean composite score increased from 20.1 to 20.5.

Marc Baron, the district's coordinator for research, evaluation and accountability, was pleased with an increase posted by Hispanic students, but discouraged by decreases among black students taking the test.

"Obviously, there is concern there," Baron said of the black students' scores, which dropped even though fewer black students took the test. "We did not meet success with our black students."

Spanish River High School in Boca Raton posted the highest average math SAT score in the district - 496 - and a verbal score of 427. Principal Art Johnson said the credit goes to a general emphasis on achievement.

"When you have a school that is focused on academic excellence, high ACT and SAT scores are symbolic of that emphasis," Johnson said.

Educators are divided on the significance of the SAT as a measure of student achievement.

"They're still used so much by colleges and viewed by colleges as so important that we have no choice but to consider them important," Shetler said.